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Christmas is right around the corner – and I have been meditating on a number of topics in addition to the usual, beautiful elements of the original story. Within these meditations, my thoughts have honed in on two converse Bible passages and part of an ancient song. And the word that comes to mind time and time again is: desire.

Desire can have a negative connotation. Why? Because it can be twisted and used toward ends that are ultimately selfish, harmful, short-sighted, or cold. And so the Bible teaches:

“…but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” James 1:14-15 (NIV)

Yet, it was not always like that. In the original plan designed by the Architect of the universe, each human was to fulfill his or her God-given desires with God-given things in God-given ways and in a God-given time frame. And it was very good.

Thus, when perfection was crushed by wrong-doing, God knew He had to do something to fix the problem. Not just a patch or a quick solution – but an answer to every one of life’s dilemmas that meet in the core of our broken hearts. His ultimate desire was what we would all come to desire too…though some of us will bravely and humbly choose to see and embrace His solution and others never will. Therefore, a verse from the ancient song translated into English says:

“O come, desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease
And be Thyself our King of peace”

The baby sleeping in the manger one night long ago was the answer to the riddle in the heart of every human in every nation from the dawn of time until this moment. And only by desiring Him will each human ever know true fulfillment, goodness, and the ability to seek peace and pursue it.

So I asked myself in my musings, “If I had a two-way mirror that could reflect out to either end of a spectrum to show the extremes of fallen desires and redeemed desires in their most basic forms in each aspect of the human experience, what would I see?” This is what I came up with:

Lust and Brokenness……………….Physical……………………………Beauty and Sweetness

   Jealousy or Envy…………………..Emotional………………..Enjoyment and Contentment

     Obsession and Anxiety………….Mental……………………………Peace and Gratitude

    Empty-hearted Idols……………Spiritual…………………God’s Goodness and Glory

That’s what it all boils down to: you and I were created to do the will of God for His glory. Only a path in that direction can redeem, feed, and fulfill our desires in a supremely good way. And through His gift to us this Christmas – and every moment of our lives – we can begin to receive and achieve it day by blessed day. As King David, an ancestor of Jesus, prayed long before the holy birth:

“I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.” Psalm 40:8 (NIV)

Amen. May we rejoice in the desires He gives us as we learn to use them for the good of all.

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In class this past week, a student mentioned one of her former English teachers. That instructor, it seems, had a propensity to leave paper drafts dripping in red ink and had a few favorite editorial marks including the marginal note of “awk” (which means awkward). My student was put off by this as she reflected. Why didn’t the instructor just correct her grammar and be done with it, the student wondered. I pointed out that an awkward sentence is often still grammatically correct; however, it may not flow well because of strange phrasing order, choice of words, use of tone or voice, or placement within the rest of a paragraph. And sometimes we don’t know why a sentence is awkward when we read it…but we know it is.

I was reminded that a good instructor will meet his/her students at their awkward communication points and do more than just point out the awkwardness. A really good instructor will help students explore the reasons behind the awkwardness and help them become more graceful communicators.

In personal writing revision this past week, I was looking over some old feedback on my novel manuscript. There were points where beta readers and editor friends could give me specific feedback (this statement is trite and unbelievable, you misspelled the name of that place, etc.). But there were other points where all they could say was, “That just doesn’t sound right to me,” or “Your tone in this dialog is choppy and canned,” or “I don’t know what needs to happen here – but change something!” I accepted and reviewed every bit of feedback, but those general and vague comments simply pointing to the awkwardness of something, something they could not put their finger on, that got me. I had to review each spot critically and wrestle with what – if any – changes I would make.

I was reminded that a good writer doesn’t give up when the reader tells him/her some part of the writing is hampered, even though they can’t say exactly why. A really good writer will evaluate it calmly and not take it personally, looking for a way to make the end product better and more edifying to the prospective audience – because he/she believes that the edification of the reader is paramount.

In personal communication this past week, I felt moved in my heart to say and write some words that were not easy. And the results of following my conscience were painful on all sides. I still feel I did the right thing. But sometimes honesty reveals brokenness, fear, dissatisfaction, pride, frustration, or tension. And all of these things can open a chasm of awkwardness between two or more people who are trying to communicate. This led me to think of all the times in my past when physical, emotional, and even spiritual awkwardness caused rifts in my relationships that were never completely mended. And it made me weep.

Yet, I was reminded that a good God doesn’t give up on us when we make mistakes, when we do what we know we should do but find the response leaves us out in the cold, and when our whole lives feel like one big, knotted, clumsy mess of the regretful, the unloveable, the awkward. A really good God, in fact, steps down into the mess and meets us in our awkwardness, redeeming it all in some miraculous way to still use us for His glory.

He is never awkward. And so, it is His face alone that we must seek to heal and grow in gracefulness.

 

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Back again for one more round of lines from songs that have been beautifully or powerfully written and have produced joy, comfort, or other positive results. The following list contains such lines from songs specifically connected to the Christmas season – some of them old/ancient and some of them recent/modern.

On this first Sunday of the 2017 Advent Season, I love pausing to reflect on these lines again. I hope as you read them, your heart will also receive benefits and blessings.

 

Son of God and Son of Man // There before the world began // Born to suffer, born to shame // Born to raise us from the grave // Christ the everlasting Lord // He shall reign forevermore – Noel by Lauren Diagle and Chris Tomlin

O that birth forever blessed // When the virgin full of grace // By the Holy Ghost conceiving // Bore the Savior of our race // And the Babe, the world’s Redeemer // First revealed His sacred face // Evermore and evermore – Of the Father’s Love Begotten (Latin Hymn written in the 4th century)

Fragile finger sent to heal us // Tender brow prepared for scorn // Tiny heart whose blood will save us // Unto us is born // So wrap our injured flesh around you // Breathe our air and walk our sod // Rob our sin and make us holy // Perfect Son of God – Welcome to Our World by Chris Rice

The hopes and fears of all the years // Are met in thee tonight – O Little Town of Bethlehem

You’ve heard it told, you think it’s odd // The whole thing fraught with complications // The play begins with a baby God // And all His blessed implications – It’s True by Sara Groves

Born Thy people to deliver, born a child and yet a King // Born to reign in us forever, now Thy gracious kingdom bring // By Thy own eternal spirit, rule in all our hearts alone // By Thine all-sufficient merit, raise us to Thy glorious throne – Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

 

In the comments section below, feel free to share one of your own favorite Christmas song lyric lines or share about how one of the above lines has been meaningful to you. Thanks and Happy Advent!

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The other day, I was thinking about the power of words in the songs we listen to: how they can lift a mood or lift the spirit, how they can encourage someone to do good – or degrade the heart with a destructive tone.

That led me to think about some lines in songs that have been particularly powerful to me over the years right up until today. I wanted to share some of them here, hoping that they might encourage you too – and thanking all of the songwriters who have used their gifts to change the world for good.

Weak is the effort of my heart and cold my warmest thought // But when I see Thee as Thou art, I’ll praise Thee as I ought. – John Newton (“How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds”)

In the silence, in the waiting // Still we can know You are good // All Your plans are for Your glory // Yes we can know You are good. – Jason Ingram and Kristian Stanfill (“The Lord Our God”)

You’ve been loving me since time began // You’re behind my every second chance. – Nichole Nordeman (“Love You More”)

So with every breath I take in  // I’ll tell you I’m grateful again // And the storm may swell even then it is well // And You are good. – Clint Lagerberg (“You are Good”)

I came to Jesus as I was // Weary and worn and sad // I found in Him a resting place // And He has made me glad. – Horatius Bonar (“I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say”)

Even what the enemy means for evil // You turn it for our good // You turn it for our good and for Your glory // Even in the valley, You are faithful // You’re working for our good // You’re working for our good and for Your glory. – Bryan Brown, Aaron Keyes, and Jack Mooring (“Sovereign Over Us”)

I’ll be back next weekend with some more inspirational lyrics tied specifically to Christmas.

But I encourage anyone reading this post now to add a comment and share a favorite line from a song that has encouraged you or lifted your heart. Even if you don’t know the name of the songwriter, please include the name of the song. Thanks. 🙂

 

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The doctor looked at me with concern in her eyes.

My heart skipped. “What’s wrong? Is the infection not clearing up? Is it not healing?”

“Well, there’s still signs of an infection,” she admitted. “But what I’m really worried about is that you won’t heal quickly.” She cringed.

“Which means…” I coaxed.

“Which means you could have a scar.”

I exhaled and smiled a little. “I don’t care if I have a scar. I just want it to heal!”

It is healing. And I will indeed have a scar. The doc confirmed it during my recent follow-up visit.

Another of my few visible physical scars. And one more among dozens that the experiences of life have left on my mind, heart, and soul.

I’ve recently finished polishing the manuscript for my first novel – a piece with the working title of The Voice of Melody. The story incorporates several themes; a major one is the question of suffering and dealing with life circumstances that could either render us crippled, powerless – or refine us for some greater purpose and later empower us with a greater strength. At one point, a father counsels his daughter on that topic, and the wisdom he passes on to her sustains her through several subsequent trials.

In essence, he says that scars are left behind for us to remember what we’ve gone though so we can live as grateful people: grateful for death or greater pain we have been spared, and grateful for any mercy we have been shown.

If we never went through the difficult things, we wouldn’t know the meaning of gratitude because we wouldn’t recognize our need to be grateful. To paraphrase my colleague, Tony, it is those scars (hard times) that can make us thankful for all the goodness in life.

I will have a scar on my head. And every time I feel it, I can remember how God helped the doctor to catch the cyst before it became too threatening, how He helped her to remove all the tissue to spare me from greater trouble.

And I can be thankful that I am alive today, alive to give and to bless.

In a week when many Americans will pause to count their blessings, let us count all of them. The obvious. The commonplace. The miraculous. And the scar-laced.

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What is it about my air-brushed, age-defying home culture that so dislikes reminders of the dirty, disgusting, and painful?

A student recently asked why most American bathrooms don’t have a floor drain (outside of the shower/bathtub) – a feature that is prevalent in many countries where indoor plumbing is widely used. I thought about it for awhile and finally concluded that one of the main reasons is because a floor drain can be both an eyesore and a source of smelliness. Both of these remind us of the dirt and germs so many of us are crazy about avoiding.

And apart from my vegan and vegetarian friends, what right-minded American doesn’t love a good hunk of meat? Yet, if we once again compare the American diet (and local supermarket) with that of most other cultures around the world, we find something interesting. We don’t like our “animals” to look like animals. Apart from the bones in hot wings, KFC meals, and barbecued ribs, there’s not a thing left behind in most of our meat choices to remind us that it was an animal. And even those exceptions are usually covered in so much breading or sauce we won’t think about how it was part of a living being a short time before. No yummy fish heads in our soup, no chickens’ feet to nibble along with the rest of our dinner. Some would say it’s simply a matter of convenience. It’s so much easier, after all, to cook and eat a boneless breast than to deal with a whole chicken. But I would argue that we also don’t want to think about the disgusting nature of the butchering process and what that animal went through so that we might be nourished.

A new ad popped up while I was watching TV last night. It urged every viewer to ask “What pain?” – to keep playing and pushing and moving no matter what. Have pain? No worries! Take this pill and your pain will roll back so you can perform as hard as ever! Like eating around the bones, pain slows me down and makes life feel messy. And why in the world would I want that?

I’ll tell you two reasons why.

Pain tells us where we are in the healing process. I’m continuing to heal from a procedure performed under my scalp. At various stages of my recovery, I’ve experienced different levels and types of pain. I took a bit of Tylenol in the beginning to help with the worst of it, but since then I’ve done nothing to mask the pain. It is my body’s way of telling me what’s going on – especially when I can’t see the wound. Likewise, when someone or something hurts my heart, how sensitive my heart remains towards that person or topic serves as a litmus test for how well my heart wound is healing.

Pain reminds us that we cannot go it alone – and we were not designed to. Some people do their best to deaden or ignore their pain (physical and/or emotional) so they can appear strong before others – or be strong for others. But the bittersweet beauty of pain is that it can and should drive each person into the strength that only God and community can provide. It gives us the perfect excuse for living humble lives – and opportunities for us to seek reasons to be thankful either after or in the midst of the discomfort.

I invite your comments on the place of physical/emotional pain in our lives and will address this topic further in next week’s post. 

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When it comes to both a well-crafted piece of writing and a well-planned ESL lesson, I was reminded this week of the paramount place of context. And this idea of context is vital on several different levels. Here are a few thoughts that have come to mind as I’ve pondered the topic.

In Writing:

It starts with WORDS. Sometimes the context and meaning are driven along by a whole sentence – or even a whole paragraph – that is made up of a single word. Other times, the choice of a singular word within a given sentence or paragraph makes all the difference in the imagery, tone, or profoundness of that segment.

It moves to COLLOCATIONS. Why do we pay for a car wash and not a car bath? Why do we play basketball and not do basketball? There are standard word combinations most would not dare to defy because readers would be so distracted or even lost; yet, there are other times when flipping words within such a standard combination or throwing in an unexpected synonym gives ones writing a fresh, vibrant feel. Finding the balance in this can be a difficult thing.

It expands to whole SENTENCES and how they fit into PARAGRAPHS. Can my readers follow where I’m going because I give them enough context (without boring them)? Does my revelation of just enough concerning details, setting, relationships, or logical flow of information help readers feel both intelligent and empowered?

It unfurls to cover the scope of a WHOLE WRITTEN PIECE. Does everything in an essay, article, or book address elements of a similar context, or does the writer go off on some tangent…never to return?

It explodes BEYOND THE END of the piece. If and when our readers take away anything wonderful, useful, or thought-provoking from our writing, those ideas influence and interact with the context (circumstances) of each particular reader’s life. And for some readers and some written pieces or volumes, this contextual impact has fueled movements, saved lives, empowered the aimless, and mended hearts.

In Language Teaching:

It starts with WORDS and COLLOCATIONS. In which circumstances do we general use a word or combination of words – and in which situations should we never use them? When I don’t know the meaning of a word or phrase, how do I deal with it in the context of the whole sentence?

It expands to SENTENCES and PARAGRAPHS and WHOLE PASSAGES and WHOLE CONVERSATIONS. But it is more than that. It is ethnic and cultural perspective of the author/speaker. It is socio-linguistic cues that I subconsciously understand – but that are completely lost on my students. It’s the complexity of ideas or relationships or information that is riddled with idioms, double-speak, or culture-steeped symbolism. It is what’s sometimes left unwritten or unsaid that helps me draw the student forward so he/she can think both independently and critically in English.

And the challenge for this writer-educator is to try to find and keep that balance of all perspectives – from micro to omniscient – when writing, revising, and presenting every manuscript and every lesson plan.

In the comments section, feel free to share any questions or ideas connected to how we can simultaneously maintain a more narrow and a broader view of “context” in our writing and/or teaching.

                  ** (image source: https://www.brainscape.com/blog/2011/04/why-using-flashcards-does-not-have-to-mean-learning-out-of-context/)
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It’s not a piece of mindless, page-turning fiction and it probably won’t make the New York Times bestseller list, but I’ve been published.

My first academic piece, an essay on how the successful language teacher should view him/herself, published by a traditional publishing house.

Opening the brown paper parcel and holding the volume in my hands after many months of waiting, I sighed with satisfaction.

And then I sighed for another reason. This was not the first thing I’ve ever written. Nor the first thing I’ve ever attempted to have published.

And my heart went out to all the writers who dream of seeing their work in print (or digitally printed for wide e-reader distribution), who long to gain a respected reputation in the eyes of readers beyond their family and friends, who feel like giving up time and time again in the middle of drafting and editing processes.

Writing a short, well-researched piece is hard work. Finishing a whole book is even harder. I never realized until I started working on three- and four-hundred page manuscripts how difficult it really is. Because the rough draft is only round one in a glorious knock-down, drag-out fight. If you’re still standing after that, there’s reading and revising, seeking feedback, content editing, copy-editing, pitching and proposing…the list goes on and on. Even in today’s age of greater access to quality self-publishing, one still has to be savvy enough (or pay someone who is savvy enough) to upload a completed (pant, pant) correctly-formatted manuscript (ugh, sigh) for printing, e-reading, or both.

And, of course, which ever way one publishes, one must then work like crazy to promote ones work so everyone in the world will rush to read it.

That’s why, today, I simply want to tell every writer out there:

Thanks for what you do.

Even if you’re only getting started, don’t give up when the road gets rough.

Even if you’ve longed to see your writing published and never been able to do so, keep on writing and trying – and continue to share your writing with those who will read it, honing your style and voice.

Even if you’ve been published once or twice and would like to set down your pen, write on. Whether or not you are ever published again, when the words live in your soul, it is fundamental to your health to get them out. And if you were good enough to be published once, why can’t you eventually be published again?

Let us press on to share the good things that burn in our hearts and minds, no matter how big or small our readership.

I’m indebted to men and women who have helped me and continue to help me in my writing and publishing journey, eternally grateful for their time and the way they not only have seen potential in me but also have invested in that potential by advising and encouraging me.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Thinking Theologically about Language Teaching, you can do so via Amazon.com. If you need assistance in ordering a copy, please email me at kaylenesvoice@gmail.com and I will be happy to help you.

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I have long been a fan of classical music. My tastes veer toward the standards of Baroque and Romantic eras as well as heart-achingly optimistic composers like Aaron Copeland. Pieces by other composers, however, don’t always bring me great enjoyment – especially those that are more abstract or impressionistic in nature. (My taste in classical music, it seems, matches my taste in classical art.)

Therefore, I don’t listen to a lot of Rachmaninoff. This Russian genius lived and composed at a time when styles of music both in Russia and around the world were evolving to something different than what had become standard in past centuries. While including piano solos of severe length and breathtaking magnitude, he brought in moments of orchestrated angst and a stunning range from nearly silent bits to heart-pounding climaxes and ear-pounding cacophonies.

Last night, I had the surprisingly pleasurable experience of listening to Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto. I took my dad out for a birthday celebration, and we attended the Omaha Symphony’s Rachmaninoff/Tchaikovsky concert. I listened to the pieces – as I sometimes do – beforehand. And I was so sure I would enjoy the Tchaikovsky piece (Symphony No. 2) much more than the other.

But that was before soloist Natasha Paremski took the stage and took our breath away with her jaw-dropping performance. The author of the program notes was spot on when he quoted the New York Herald’s original critique of the piece: “…although it’s great length and extreme difficulties bar it from performances by any but pianists of exceptional technical powers.”

Ms. Paremski was such a pianist. And I decided that Rachmaninoff in person is a whole lot different than Rachmaninoff on a recording. Part of the awe and delight of hearing his work comes from watching the pianist nearly pound the piano into the stage while displaying so much passion. When she finished, we expected her to be exhausted. Instead, she was invigorated to return to the stage and play an equally challenging (but shorter) piece for us in an encore as if she hadn’t just played, nearly non-stop, impossibly challenging music for almost 40 minutes!

Rachmaninoff still isn’t my favorite composer, but I have a much greater appreciation for him today than I ever have before. Yet, what struck me as I listened to the whole concert last night was: the audacity of how you and I have been created.

God, in His infinite power and majesty, could have created us as robots or minions. He could have left us without a brain or a heart. He could have pre-programmed us like fully-loaded computers we take home from electronics stores, capable of only outputting what He or others put into us.

But God, in all of His love and beauty, didn’t stick to the could-haves. He created us to possess many blessed traits. And among those is something I will call createableness. We don’t have unlimited power and resources to create things on His scale. (That’s good – there only needs to be one of Him in the universe. 🙂 ) We do, however, have gifts and abilities endowed by Him to compose and write and sculpt and demonstrate and inspire. The Creator has given us – on a scale that our human minds and hearts can try to embrace – the gift of both creating goodness and appreciating the goodness that others have created.

And the habit of pausing to notice and be grateful for this gift of His is one supremely worthwhile of cultivation.

In the comments section, I encourage you to share about some goodness you’ve created or some good creation in which you’ve delighted.

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Many languages in the world, such as Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Thai, are known as tonal languages because their speakers must rely heavily on tones to convey meaning. A particular word may have that same sound(s) as a different word and the only thing that sets them apart for the listener is which tone accompanies each syllable of the word.

English, in contrast, is famously labeled as a non-tonal language because so much of an English speaker’s successful communication hinges on placing stress on the right part of a word or the right words in a sentence.

While the above labels are not false, I was reminded in my classroom last week about the importance of teaching many different things when focusing on pronunciation. Individual phonemes (sounds within words) are crucial building blocks and correct word/sentence stress helps listeners to understand anyone who is trying to speak English.

But tone…that is an equally important thing for us to properly model for our students and target in the classroom when we are giving students time to practice.

Consider two aspects of this.

First, think of a common word such as interesting. Then, think of at least four ways that word can be said – that is, say the word at least four different ways using different tones. I can say it to show that something is mildly attractive. But I can also show by my tone if I think it is tantalizing, surprising, previously unknown, thought-provoking, or utterly boring.

Second, think of a whole sentence and how saying it with different types of intonation will change the meaning or feeling for the listener. For instance, look at this sentence/question and say it at least three different ways:

(Sarcastic) Well, that was the most interesting book I’ve ever read!

(Honest, friendly question) Was that the most interesting book you’ve ever read?

(Excited) That was the most interesting book I’ve ever read!

(Doubtful, disbelieving) Was that the most interesting book you’ve ever read?

(Nostalgic) Now that was the most interesting book I’ve ever read.

Teaching language well requires balanced exposure to many aspects of that language. But every now and then, it’s important for both the language teacher/tutor and the language student to evaluate if they are working on each of the major components of the target language with equal emphasis.

For me, right now that means reminding my students that they all need to pay careful attention to English intonation in both their interpretive listening and their speaking.

If you teach language, what does it mean for you?

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